Safety belt webbing



United States Patent 6 SAFETY BELT WEBBING Ernest F. Gatzke, Middletown, Conn., assiguor to The Russell hianufacturing Company, Middletown, Coun., a corporation of Connecticut Application March 19, 1956, Serial No. 572,525

11 Claims. (Cl. 139411) This invention relates to a webbing for safety belts of the type used in passenger vehicles and has for an object to provide a webbing having novel and improved characteristics.

Another object is to improve the grip of the buckle on seat belts having high tensile strength.

Another object is to provide a new and improved weave by which the surface of the webbing is formed with areas which differ in physical characteristics and in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

Automobile seat belts have been standardized as to the size of the webbing used at about 2 inches by A3 inch in section. Such webs have a break strength of the order of 1600 lbs. for cotton to 4000 lbs. for nylon, depending upon the material used. At these higher loads difficulty is encountered in providing a nons'lip buckle grip, particularly if the yarn is smooth and hard twisted.

The present invention provides a Web having improved buckle grip without requiring the buckle to pierce the webbing or otherwise damage the surface.

In accordance with the present invention the web is so woven that the surface is provided with alternate areas of difierent characteristics. The surface may have alternate ridges and depressions which are adapted to receive the buckle, or the areas may have different surface friction.

The nature of the invention will be better understood by referring to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a greatly enlarged and expanded warpwise section of a web embodying the invention showing the paths of the various warpwise yarns;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views similar to Fig. 1 illustrating further embodiments of the invention; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations illustrating two types of fabric which embody the weaves of Figs. 1 to 3.

Referring to Fig. l, the fabric comprises a series of upper filler shots 10, a series of lower filler shots 11, and a series of intermediate filler shots 12. These filler shots may be composed of any suitable material such as nylon or cotton yarn.

A number of picks of the upper filler shots in a first zone a (beginning at the left side of Fig. l) are bound by a double chain 13 which may comprise a bulky yarn such as a nylon yarn spun from staple. At the end of the first zone the chain yams-13 cross downwardly on opposite sides of an intermediate filler shot 12a and in a second zone b are laid between the lower and intermediate filler shots 11 and 12 as straight stuffers as shown at the right of Fig. 1.

In the first zone a, a second pair of yarns 14, similar to the yarns 13 are laid as straight stuffers between the upper and intermediate filler shots 10 and 12, then the 2,794,450 Patented June 4, 1957 yarns 14 cross downwardly on opposite sides of an intermediate fi'ller shot 12b and are used as chains to bind the lower filler shots 11 of the second zone b.

A pair of yarns 15 which are preferably smaller than the yarns 13, for example, continuous filament nylon, are laid as straight staffers between the lower and intermediate filler shots 11 and 12 in the first zone a, then cross upwardly on opposite sides of the intermediate filler shot 12b and become chains to bind the upper filler shots 10 of the second zone b.

A pair of chain yarns 16, which are preferably similar to the yarn 14 bind the lower filler shots 11 of the first zone a, then cross upwardly on opposite sides of the intermediate filler shot 12a and are laid as straight stuffers between the upper and intermediate filler shots 10 and 12 of the second zone b.

A binder yarn 17 which may comprise a spun nylon yarn similar to the yarn 13 passes under two lower filler shots 11, then upwardly between a pair of intermediate filler shots 12 and over a pair of upper filler shots 10, then downwardly between the next pair of intermediate filler shots 12 and under the next two lower filler shots 11 and serves to bind successive pairs of upper and lower filler shots in the first zone a. At the end of the first zone a the binder yarn 17 crosses upwardly between intermediate filler shots 12a and 12b and is laid as a straight stuffer between the upper and intermediate filler shots 10 and 12 in the second zone b.

A second binder warp 18 which may comprise a continuous filament nylon yarn similar to the yarn 15, is laid as a straight stuifer between the lower and intermediate filler shots 11 and 12 in the first zone a, then crosses between the intermediate filler shots 12a and 12b, passes over the first two upper filler shots 10 of the second zone 12, thence downwardly between the first pair of intermediate filler shots 12 and under the first pair of lower filler shots 11, thence upwardly between the next pair of intermediate filler shots 12 and over the next two upper filler shots 10 and so on throughout the second zone b to bind successive pairs of upper and lower filler shots.

A double chain yarn 19 is used to bind the upper filler shots 10 in zones a and b and a pair of chain yarns 20 extends along the lower filler shots 11 in zones a and b. Additional straight stufiers 21 may be used to increase the thickness and add strength to the web as desired.

The zones a and b have been shown as comprising at least six picks each, however, they may be extended to include any desired number of picks. The pattern is repeated for successive zones so that the chains and binders of one zone become stuffers for the next zone, and vice versa.

In the above weave the surfaces of the web in successive zones are different in appearance and in form. For example the upper part of the web in zone 0 contains chains 13, stuifers 14 and binder yarn 17, whereas the upper half of the web in zone b contains chains 15, stulfers 16 and binder yarn 18. If the yarns 13, 14 and 17 are spun yarns and the yarns 15, 16 and 18 are continuous filament yarns of a lighter denier, the upper part of the web in zone a will be more bulky than the upper part of the web in zone b and will form ribs 22 and depressions 23 in the upper surface as indicated in Fig. 5. The reverse eifect is produced in the lower part of the web.

If a buckle is applied to grip the web at a depression 23 it will be prevented from slipping over the next rib 22, thus greatly increasing the holding power of the belt.

The binding of pairs of filler shots together by the binder yarns 17 and 18 causes the bound pairs to be pulled closer together and makes a ribbed surface effect with gaps between surface ribs, thereby further improving the holding power of the buckle. Obviously more than two filler shots may be spanned by the binder yarn to make wider ribs if desired.

Also the yarns 13, 14 and 17, which are composed of spun nylon, are heavy and dull in appearance while the yarns 15, 16 and 18 which are composed of continuous filament nylon are small and shiny or bright in appearance. The efiect isto produce a dull appearing surface for the. ribs 22 and shiny or bright surfaces for the depressions 23. If the spun yarns and continuous filament yarns are made of the same thickness the areas a more closely spaced than those in the adjacent zones so as to increase the contrast.

A single binder 17 may be used throughout to bind the upper and lower filler shots of both zones if desired. This may cause a contrast in surface appearance however if the binder difiers materially in appearance from the adjacent exposed chain warps in either zone.

The cross overs of the chains and stutfers between successive zones improves the bind of the plies of the web.

The through chains 19 and may be used at the edges of the web only to provide the appearance of strips of continuous warp yarns as indicated at 24 in Fig. 4 and may be omitted from the other web areas. The chains 13 to 16 may be omitted from these edge areas or may be buried as stulfers.

The zones a and b may be alternated across .the web to provide a checkered elfect as indicated by areas in Fig. 4.

In the weave of Fig. 1 if the chains 13 and 16 are made of different yarns the binder 17 can match only one of these yarns. Hence the binder may introduce a contrasting appearance on the surface where is is exposed adjacent a difierently characterized chain yarn. In the above example if the binder 17 is composed of a spun yarn it will blend with the spun yarn 13 at the upper surface of zone a, but will contrast with the continuous filament yarn 16 on the lower surface of zone a.

Fig. 2 illustrates a weave in which all exposed yarns in each area may be made of the same type. In Fig. 2 the shots 10, 11, 12, and the warpwise yarns 13 to 16 are identical with those described above and shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 the binders 17 and 18 are replaced by binders 27 and 28 which conform to the material of the chains 13 and 16 respectively. The binder 27 passes over the first two upper filler shots 10 of zone a, then under an intermediate filler shot 12 and over the next two upper filler shots 10 and so on, passing under alternate intermediate filler shots 12. At the end of zone a the binder 27 crosses to the lower face, passing under the first two lower filler shots 11 of zone 12, then over an intermediate filler shot 12, under the next two lower filler shots 11, and so on.

The binder 28 passes under the first two lower filler shots 11 of zone a, then over an intermediate filler shot 12, alternating around the intermediate filler shots 12 with the binder 27. At the end of zone a the binder 28 crosses to the upper surface, passing over the first two upper filler shots 10 of zone b, under an intermediate filier shot 12 and over the next two upper filler shots 10, alternating around the intermediate filler shots 12 with the binder 27. In this embodiment no contrasting yarn is exposed in any area except for the through chains 19 and 20 which are omitted except in areas where a through stripe is required. The chains 13 and binder 27 are exposed in the same areas and the chains 16 and binder 18 are exposed in the same areas. Also chains 14 and binder 27 are exposed in the same areas and chains 15 and binder 28 are exposed at the same areas.

As a further embodiment the chains 15 and 16 may be omitted and replaced by the chains 13 and 14 which may then cross over to the opposite surface between zones and become chains instead of being buried as staffers.

The embodiment of Fig. 3 is identical with that of Fig. 1 except that binder 37 which is identical with the binder 17 of Fig. 1 in zone a becomes a chain around the intermediate filler shots 12 of zone b, and the binder 38 which is identical with the binder 18 of Fig. 1 in zone b becomes a chain around the intermediate filler shots 12 of zone a. I V

This construction improves the bind of the intermediate filler shots and makes the web more rigid and compact.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety belt webbing comprising upper, lower and intermediate filler shots disposed in successive zones, a set of warps forming chains binding the upper filler shots of a first zone and lying between the lower and intermediate filler shots as stufiers in a second zone, a second set of warps forming chains binding the lower filler shots in said first zone and lying between the upper and intermediate filler shots as stuffers in said second zone, a third set of warps lying between the upper and intermediate filler shots as stuifers in said first zone and forming chains binding the lower filler shots of said second zone, a fourth set of warps lying between the lower and intermediate filler shots as stutfers in said first zone and forming chains binding the upper filler shots of said second zone, and a binder warp binding upper and lower filler shots together and passing between successive pairs of intermediate filler shots in successive traverses between upper and lower filler shots.

2. A safety belt webbing comprising upper, lower and intermediate filler shots disposed in successive zones, a set of warps forming chains binding the upper filler shots of a first zone and lying between the lower and intermediate filler shots as stuffers in a second zone, a second set of warps forming chains binding the lower filler shots in said first zone and lying between the upper and intermediate filler shots as stuifers in said second zone, a third set of warps lying between the upper and intermediate filler shots as stufiers in said first zone and forming chains binding the lower filler shots of said second zone, a fourth set of warps lying between the lower and intermediate filler shots or stuffers in said first zone and forming chains binding the upper filler shots of said second zone, a binder warp binding upper and lower filler shots together in said first zone and lying between upper and lower filler shots as a stuffer in said second zone, and a second binder warp lying between upper and lower filler shots as a stuffer in said first zone and binding upper and lower filler shots together in said second zone.

3. A webbing asset forth in claim 1 in which said first and third sets of warps are differently characterized than said second and fourth sets.

4. A webbing as set forth in claim 1 in which said first and third sets of warps are composed of spun yarn and said second and fourth sets are composed of continuous filament yarn.

5. A webbing as set forth in claim 2 in which said first and second binder warps are differently characterized.

6. A webbing as set forth in claim 1 in which said binder warp binds said upper and lower filler shots in pairs to provide a ribbed effect.

7. A safety belt webbing comprising upper, lower and intermediate filler shots disposed in successive zones, at set of warps forming chains binding the upper filler shots of a first zone and being buried between the upper and lower filler shots as stutfer's in a second zone, a second set of warps forming chains binding the lower filler shots in said first zone and being buried between the upper and lower filler shots as stuffers in said second zone, a third set of warps lying between the upper and lower filler shots as stuflers in said first zone and forming chains binding the lower filler shots of said second zone, a fourth set of warps lying between the upper and lower filler shots as stuflers in said first zone and forming chains binding the upper filler shots of said second zone, and binder warps binding the upper and lower filler shots together.

8. A webbing as set forth in claim 7 in which a binder warp binds the upper and intermediate filler shots of one zone and the lower and intermediate filler shots of the second zone and a second binder warp binds the lower and intermediate filler shots of the first zone and the upper and intermediate filler shots of the second zone.

9. A webbing as set forth in claim 8 in which the said first and second binders pas around alternate intermediate filler shots.

10. A webbing as set forth in claim 7 in which each binder binds upper and lower filler shots of one zone and is buried between the upper and lower filler shots of another zone.

11. A webbing as set forth in claim 10 in which the .buried portions of said binders constitute chains around said intermediate filler shots.

Posselt: Technology of Textile Design, page 129, Philadelphia. Copyright 1896. 

